The union Philippine Airlines Employees
Association (PALEA) welcomed the promulgation today of a decision by the
Sandiganbayan regarding the mulcting case it filed against a prosecutor of the
Department of Justice (DOJ). A delegation from PALEA came to the Sandiganbayan
this morning to witness the promulgation.
Senior assistant state prosecutor Diosdado
Solidum is charged with extorting some P2.5 million in 2013 in exchange for
dropping a case against 250 PALEA members for alleged violation of the Civil Aviation Authority Act (CAAP) of
2008 because of its airport protest against outsourcing in September 2011.The
protest ended with the forcible eviction by police and guards of PALEA members.
“We welcome the handing down of a
decision today and we hope that the Sandiganbayan delivers a conviction on
Solidum as there is incontrovertible proof of his guilt. A conviction will
render justice for PALEA members whose protest against contractualization in
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is not just legal but just. We hope that this small win
will ultimately lead to a bigger victory in our fight against endo at PAL,”
stated Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and also vice chair of the militant Partido
Manggagawa.
PALEA held a protest at the airport in
September 27, 2011 in a bid to stop the implementation of a massive outsourcing
program that led to the mass termination of some 2,600 employees and their
transfer as contractual workers in agencies. PAL charged some 250 PALEA members
with violating the CAAP law and a Pasay City prosecutor subsequently affirmed
the complaint. Solidum then approached PALEA with the offer of dismissing the
case on appeal in return for P10,000 from each of the respondents. Solidum was
caught in an entrapment operation in QC authorized by then DOJ head Leila de
Lima.
Rivera added that “Our fight for justice
has been long and winding. But we are glad that after four years, the
Sandiganbayan will now render a decision on Solidum. We will be even more happy
if our struggle for reinstatement as regular workers in PAL will finally be
concluded.”
“A few days ago President Rodrigo
Duterte assailed Lucio Tan-owned PAL for failing to pay CAAP for its debts on
the use of airport facilities. As a result PAL has offered to settle the issue
by paying P4 billion. We call on President Duterte to ask Lucio Tan and PAL to likewise
fulfill their obligation to some 600 PALEA members have yet to be reinstated as
regular workers according to the terms of a settlement agreement forged in 2013
to resolve the outsourcing dispute. The President is aware of this as it was
brought to his attention in a dialogue with labor groups at Malacanang last
February 27,” Rivera insisted.
PALEA is also calling on the Department
of Labor and Employment to release the findings of its inspection of PAL, its
sister company PAL Express and the 27 agencies contracted in their operations.
A similar inspection of telecom company PLDT led to an order to regularize
nearly 9,000 agency workers.
“We are confident that simlar to PLDT,
PAL and PAL Express will also be found gulity of illegal labor-only contracting
and thus be ordered to regularize its thousands of agency workers and reinstate
the PALEA 600. This will mean that justice has been served PALEA’s fight, just
like a conviction for Solidum today,” Rivera argued.
September 29, 2017
